January 12, 2021 In a 2019 opinion piece published in the New York Times, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff called for a “new capitalism” and counseled business leaders to look at the facts: “Research shows that companies that embrace a broader mission—and, importantly, integrate that purpose into their corporate culture—outperform their peers, grow faster, and deliver higher profits,” he wrote. Benioff ’s intentions are good, but there’s a problem with his advice: Facts rarely, if ever, influence the actions or priorities of a leader wired for a different reality. Data may help break through what one of our fellows called the “mud layer of middle management,” but it rarely resets the intentions of key decision makers.